Rocco
Watching you.
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Here's excerpt from a David Thorpe article on ESPN (Insider):
1. Michael Carter-Williams, 76ers
MCW was one of the top five rookie of the year candidates I wrote about in July, so it's not surprising that he is now the leading contender for the award. The surprise is how often he has been special, doing some terrific things while being his team's best player in victories.
His opening-night masterpiece in Philly's win over Miami will be talked about for his whole career; that's what 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists and 9 steals will do for a player in his first NBA game. In the five wins he's been a part of, he's had three double-doubles and averaged 17.0 points, 8.8 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals while shooting 45.8 percent from 3. Winning that many games by Thanksgiving is a shock for a team most experts felt would struggle to win 12 games all season, and his shooting percentage from deep is surprising as well.
John Wall, another great point guard talent who struggles as a shooter, did not help his team win games by using the 3-point shot until his third season. Making 3s and free throws is a huge part of being an efficient player, something that was not expected from MCW as a rookie. But his five-plus free throw attempts per game are a sign that he is giving defenders far more trouble than any of the GMs who passed on him projected. He is shooting almost as many free throws a game as Wall did as the top pick his rookie year.
So add it all up: He's making a higher percentage of 3s than anyone expected based on his poor shooting in college last season. He's getting to the line a lot. He's passing great, rebounding well and serving as a holy terror on the defensive end (first in steals per game). That's the kind of impact truly great players make in games and in seasons; they change the outlook of their team's success hugely. That MCW is doing so already is indeed the biggest surprise of the rookie class so far.
Great start to his career. Go Cuse.
1. Michael Carter-Williams, 76ers
MCW was one of the top five rookie of the year candidates I wrote about in July, so it's not surprising that he is now the leading contender for the award. The surprise is how often he has been special, doing some terrific things while being his team's best player in victories.
His opening-night masterpiece in Philly's win over Miami will be talked about for his whole career; that's what 22 points, 7 rebounds, 12 assists and 9 steals will do for a player in his first NBA game. In the five wins he's been a part of, he's had three double-doubles and averaged 17.0 points, 8.8 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 steals while shooting 45.8 percent from 3. Winning that many games by Thanksgiving is a shock for a team most experts felt would struggle to win 12 games all season, and his shooting percentage from deep is surprising as well.
John Wall, another great point guard talent who struggles as a shooter, did not help his team win games by using the 3-point shot until his third season. Making 3s and free throws is a huge part of being an efficient player, something that was not expected from MCW as a rookie. But his five-plus free throw attempts per game are a sign that he is giving defenders far more trouble than any of the GMs who passed on him projected. He is shooting almost as many free throws a game as Wall did as the top pick his rookie year.
So add it all up: He's making a higher percentage of 3s than anyone expected based on his poor shooting in college last season. He's getting to the line a lot. He's passing great, rebounding well and serving as a holy terror on the defensive end (first in steals per game). That's the kind of impact truly great players make in games and in seasons; they change the outlook of their team's success hugely. That MCW is doing so already is indeed the biggest surprise of the rookie class so far.
Great start to his career. Go Cuse.
